August, 2001.
Photoshop, Painter
In my opinion, www.lunarhope.com is the #1 Lunar site in Japan. The webmaster of Lunarhope has been kind enough to post up some of my art, so as I do with all my favorite Lunar sites, I'm doing a gift art for them to show my appreciation for their hard work in supporting Lunar. Thank you, Lunarhope!^_^ Following the picture is a short story explaining the context of the picture.
Yesterday I hiked to woods searching for Ghaleon who hadn't returned from his walk. After walking deep into the belly of nature, I eventually found my friend nursing a baby bird who had been abandoned by its mother. I am always amazed at how Ghaleon manages to find companionship in nature where he can not in mankind. Watching him care for the bird reaffirms my belief that my friend is the kind person I believe him to be, and I am always glad to have his company.
I placed my hand upon his shoulder. "Found a friend, Ghaleon?", I asked.
Ghaleon only now noticed my presence as he looked back over his shoulder and smiled. "It is a travesty that any mother would abandon her child. Would you not have done the same, my friend?"
I watched the innocent creature devour the scrap of worm Ghaleon was feeding it. "Yes, I'm sure I would have." I lifted my hand from Ghaleon's shoulder. "We should go, my friend. We have a long journey ahead of us."
Ghaleon stood up with the bird and we began our trek out of the endless green. As we walked, I noticed Ghaleon holding his young child quite close. "Are you going to raise it?" I asked.
"Of course", he responded almost immediately. "I have become the young one's caretaker, have I not?"
I was startled a bit by the quickness in his response. "Until it is old enough to live on its own, you mean?"
"No," he replied. "I shall care for him indefinitely."
I chuckled and threw my arm around Ghaleon's shoulder. "It is a part of nature, Ghaleon. Wouldn't it best to let it return to the forest when it is capable of living on its own?"
Ghaleon sidestepped away from my arm in a brash manner. "No, Dyne. The mother has abandoned its child. Without someone to watch over it, it shall surely perish."
We walked back the rest of the way in silence. Years passed and Dyne cared for the bird well into its adult life. He kept the bird in a lavish golden cage. Speaking to it, feeding it, and constantly heaping attention on it, the bird wanted for nothing. However, one day Ghaleon came back and found the cage door open. His child had run away. Eventually he knocked on my door. We took a walk in the woods in the hopes that perhaps we would see Ghaleon's bird.
Ghaleon was extremely distraught. "Dyne, why would it run away? I cared for it better than its thoughtless mother."
I sighed and patted Ghaleon on the back. "Not all creatures are happy living in a cage, my friend. This is why I suggested we return it to the forest. We can only speculate its whereabouts now. . ."
Ghaleon sighed. "I was sure it was happy. I was so sure. . ."
We never found the bird. Maybe the bird was happier being watched over by my friend, but to this day I still don't regret opening that cage door. There comes a time when a life needs not to be dictated by another.
